Semana Santa, or Holy Week, is celebrated by Catholic brotherhoods and fraternities in Spain with processions throughout the country. The processions feature floats that depict the Passion of the Christ.
The event differs between regions of Spain, but it is overall a pious religious event. Semana Santa is the Spanish celebration for Holy Week leading up to Easter, which dates back to the 16th century when the Catholic Church decided to present the story of the Passion of Christ in a way that the layperson could understand.
From that point on, scenes from the story of the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ were told through a series of processions through the streets each year.
Today, Semana Santa is still celebrated in all the pomp and circumstance of 16th-century Spanish Catholicism in cities across Spain. Andalusian cities like Seville and Malaga particularly shine in this regard, but some Spaniards argue that “true Semana Santa” takes place in the region of Castile and León in cities like Zamora, Valladolid, Salamanca, Avila, and Segovia.
Andalusian Semana Santa starts on the Sunday before Easter and lasts until Easter Sunday itself, while in Castile and León events run from two Fridays before, making for 10 days of celebration in total.
In Toledo, Semana Santa celebrations are even longer, starting on the Thursday two weeks before Semana Santa itself. Though the style and mood of Semana Santa in Spain vary from city to city, the basic components remain the same.
Each day there are a number of processions, one from each religious brotherhood in the city, made up of floats that are carried from their church to the town’s central cathedral and back again.
Most brotherhoods carry two floats, one with Christ and one with his mourning mother, Mary the Virgin. Each procession is different, and each has its own particular followers, either due to the location of the church or the exact nature of the procession.
The presence of our type of music, the time of day, and the size of the church all factor into the crowds that follow these displays. The floats are heavy, especially so in Andalusia, which is the most extravagant region for Semana Santa.
Strong men carry the floats, but with the procession lasting many hours, even they will feel the pain. The suffering experienced is likened to that experienced by Christ and the men are known as costal eros consider it a great honor to carry the float, despite (and because of) the pain involved.
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